Bell nipple



A ril 22. 9 4- J. P. RATIGAN BELL NIPPLE Filed A115. 20. 1923 INVENTORY JAMES R HAT/6AM ATTORNEYS atented Apr. 22, 1924.

UNITED STATES I 1,491,066 PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES rArRIcK RATIGAN, or Los Antennas, cALIronnIA.

BELL nrrrnn."

Application filed August 20, 1923. Serial No. 658,477.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES'P. RATIGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State 'of California, have invented a new and useful Bell Nipple, of which the 'following is a specification.

This invention relates to bell nipples of the type employed in connection with discharge Ts and the like for guarding the screw threads of said Ts against injury when sucker rods or a cable are run in or out of the casing or pump tubing of a well.

An object of this invention is to provide a nipple of this'type that can be quickly installed in place and removed without the necessity of uncoupling the sucker rods.

Other advantages will appear in the subjoined detailed description.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bell nipple constructed in accordance with the provisions of this invention, a sucker rod also being shown and a T,,in which the nipple'is inserted, being indicated in broken lines.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the nipple from the left in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is aplan view of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4: is a sectional elevation on the line indicated by 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, there is provided a tubular slotted body comprising a neck 11 and a flange 12, the under face of the flange constituting an annular shoulder 13 adapted to rest upon the upper end of the T or other member with which the nipple is associated, when in use, said T being indicated at a in Fig. 1. Thus the shoulder 13 constitutes one form of means to support the neck with a portion thereof inserted in the vertically positioned T.

The slot 14 extends from end to end of the neck 11 and through the flange 12, and it is of advantage to have this slot extend aslant with reference to the longitudinal axis of the neck so that, when the nipple is in place in the T as in Fig. 1, the sucker rod 6 or cable, because of hanging vertically, cannot enter the slot and strike the threaded portions 0 of the T.

Projecting downwardly at one side from the flange 12 is an arm 15 provided with a threaded hole 16 extending at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the nipple. In

7 the threaded hole 16 is ascrew 17 adapted to be tightened against the peripheral face of the T, thus to hold the nipple securely in place. It is to be understood that any other suitable securing'means than the screw 16 may be provided or that, if desired, such securing means may be omitted entirely,

without departing from the broader characteristics of the invention.

Assuming, for example, that the T a is mounted on the upper end of the pump'tubing, not shown, the invention is used as follows: v

Before the pump plunger and sucker rods are inserted into the pump tubing, the bell nipple -is placed with its neck 11 inside of the upper portion of the T a with the shoulder 13 resting on the upper end of the T and thus supporting the nipple. Then the screw 17 will be tightenedagainst the T. The

nipple, when in this position, shields the threads 0 at the upper end of the T against being struck by the sucker rod 6 and said nipple prevents the sucker rod from swinging laterally against the threads 0 at the lower end of the T. Also, when the sucker rods are being lowered, the nipple, thus guiding the sucker rods, prevents the couplings of the rods from engaging and catching on the shoulder 01 formed at the juncture of the vertical and horizontal bores of the T. 7

To remove the nipple, after the sucker rods have been lowered, the screw 17 will.

be loosened and the nipple raised sufficiently to withdraw the neck 11 from the T and said nipple will then be moved to cause the slot 14 to pass the sucker rod. Because of the slanting position of the slot it may be necessary to slightly tilt the nipple while the slot 14 passes the sucker rod. The tilting can be eifccted since the sucker rod is of much less diameter than the inside diameter of the nipple.

It will also be readily understood that, if it be desired to pull the sucker rods and pump plunger, a reversal of the foregoing described operations will be effected to place the nipple in position to guard the screw threads of the T against injury by the ascending sucker rods.

The bore portion 18 within the flange 12 preferably expands upwardly so as to more readily guide the lower end of the pump plunger into the nipple when said plunger In using the older constructed bell nipples, it is necessary to uncoup-le the-sucker rods before said bell nipples can be removed from the sucker line, in order that the stuff ing box can be screwed into 'the upper end of the T. This invention eliminates the un coupling of the rods when it is necessaryto remove the bell nipple or place the same on the sucker line. v

This invention also avoids the more complicatcd hinged construction employed in some bell nipples, which are screwed into the upper end of the T. An important advantage of this invention is that it can be secured in place without-screwing it into the 'T, for, it will be readily understood, that the constant use of the screw threads of the T tends to wear them so that the joint between the T and stufling box Will not be tight, whereupon it becomzs necessary to discard the T and substitute a new one therefor.

I claim a 1. A bell nipple comprising a tubular neck having a slot extending from end to end, and means to support said neck with a portion thereof inserted in a vertically positioned T.

2. A bill nipple comprising, a tubular neck having a slot extending from end to endaslant relative to the longitudinal axis of the ncck, and means to support said neck with a portion thereof inserted in a vertically positioned T. V

3. bell nipple comprising, a tubular neck having va slot extending from end to end, and means connected with the neck to engage the peripheral face of a T in which the neck is inserted.

4. A bell nipple comprising, a tubular body having a neck and having a flange to engage one end of T in which the neck is inserted, an arm projecting from the flange, and 11162111801]. the arm'to engage the periph: eral faceof the T.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 13th day of Au ust, 1923.

JAME PATRICK RATIGAN. 

